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The Dead Hand Journal

Journal

History

Sometime before the football games are watched, and the turkey and stuffing and pies are consumed this Thanksgiving Day, take a few minutes to read this extraordinary speech, extraordinary for what it says about your Marines, your Armed Forces, and your Country, and even more extraordinary for what it does not say.

The speech talks about the patriotic youth who answer the call to serve their country. The general discusses in detail the deaths of two Marine heroes for whom he posthumously recommended the Navy Cross. As you read the speech, you will find that it does not mention anything about the death of 1stLt Robert Kelly, USMC, who lost his life in Afghanistan just four days earlier, on November 9, 2010. This speech was delivered on November 13, 2010, by LtGen Kelly, his father.

1stLt Kelly was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery on Monday, November 22, 2010.